Head of The Home Civil Service
The highest ranking civil servant in the country is the Cabinet Secretary. A subsidiary title that was also held by the incumbent was Head of the Home Civil Service, who until recently was also the incumbent Cabinet Secretary and Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office. However, following the Coalition Government of David Cameron the three posts were split from the single holder. The last person to hold all three positions together was Sir Gus O'Donnell, Cabinet Secretary, Head of the Home Civil Service and Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary, September 2005-January 2012. The postholder is responsible for ensuring that the Civil Service is equipped with the skills and capability to meet the everyday challenges it faces and that civil servants work in a fair and decent environment. He also chairs the Permanent Secretary Management Group and the Civil Service Steering Board which are the main governing bodies of the Civil Service.
It was announced on 11 October 2011 that, following Sir Gus' retirement at the end of 2011, the role of Head of the Home Civil Service would be split from the post of Cabinet Secretary. There will additionally be a new, separate, Permanent Secretary to lead the Cabinet Office. After Sir Gus' retirement, Sir Jeremy Heywood replaced him as Cabinet Secretary; Ian Watmore as Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary; and lastly, Sir Bob Kerslake as Head of the Home Civil Service.
| Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sir Warren Fisher | 1919–1939 | also Secretary to the Treasury |
| Sir Horace Wilson, GCB, GCMG, CBE | 1939–1942 | also Secretary to the Treasury |
| Sir Edward Bridges, GCB, GCVO, MC | 1945–1956 | also Secretary to the Treasury |
| Sir Norman Brook, GCB | 1956-1962 | also Joint Secretary to the Treasury |
| Sir Laurence Helsby, GCB, KBE | 1963-1968 | also Joint Secretary to the Treasury |
| Sir William Armstrong, GCB, MVO, PC | 1968–1974 | also Permanent Secretary, Civil Service Department |
| Sir Douglas Allen, GCB | 1974–1978 | also Permanent Secretary, Civil Service Department |
| Sir Ian Bancroft | 1978-1981 | also Permanent Secretary, Civil Service Department |
| Sir Douglas Wass | 1981-1983 | also Secretary to the Treasury |
| Sir Robert Armstrong, GCB, CVO | 1981-1988 | also Secretary to the Cabinet |
| Sir Robin Butler, KG, GCB, CVO, PC | 1988–1998 | also Secretary to the Cabinet |
| Sir Richard Wilson, GCB | 1998–2002 | also Secretary to the Cabinet |
| Sir Andrew Turnbull, KCB, CVO | 2002–2005 | also Secretary to the Cabinet |
| Sir Gus O'Donnell, GCB | 2005–2011 | also Secretary to the Cabinet |
| Sir Bob Kerslake | 2012–present | also Permanent Secretary, Department of Communities and Local Government |
Read more about this topic: Her Majesty's Civil Service, Governance
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